Furniture



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J. A. SGHENKEL.

FURNITURE.

No. 426,686. Patented Apr. 29, 1890.

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UNITED STATES i PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH A. SCI'IENKEL, OF ALLEGHENY, PENNSYLVANIA.

FURNITURE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No.426,686, dated April 29, 1890,

Application filed November 18, 1889. SeralNo. 330,741 (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOSEPH A. SOHENKEL, a resident of Allegheny, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Furniture; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

My invention relates to articles of household and office furniture-such as, for example, bureaus, wash-stands, chiffoniers, desks, &c.-its object being to cheapen the manufacture of the same, and to provide at the same time a double bureau or like article in which larger'space is obtained in the drawers, and in which the drawers can be opened from veither side, while, if desired, an iron frame may be employed. The frame of the ordinary article of furniturem-such as those above referred to-is made inclosed, as the sides and back, which are paneled, and the extra wood required for the paneling and the labor of forming the panels to inclose the sides or sides and back of the outer frame or body increasing considerably the cost of manufacture of the article. These articles of furniture, on account of the inclosing of the body portions thereof, are rather difficult t0 clean and keep in proper condition on account of the difficulty of access to part of the body, and it often occurs that dust gathers within the body and settles upon the contents of the drawers, and that, so far as the body portion at least is concerned, it is difficult to remove the dust, while there'is liability of entrance of vermin into the same. These bureaus and like articles are generally made shallow, and there is seldom sufficient depth of drawers, the depth of drawers of course being reduced on account of the solid back on the article, and their width is likewise reduced on account of the solid sides thereof.

By my invention I am enabled to provide a double bureau or stand or like article in which these objections are overcome, and which also provides sufficient depth of drawers, and at the same time provides for the employment of the article either as a double or a single piece of furniture, as may be desired.

The special features of the invention will be hereinafter set forth and claimed.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will describe the same more fully, referring to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a perspective view of' a bureau, illustrating my invention. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section on the line 2 2, Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a cross-section on the line 3 3, Fig. 2; and Fig. 1i is a detail view showing the side bar and the rubber or like stripping therein.

Like letters of reference indicate like parts in each.

My improved bureau or like article of furniture has its frame formed in skeleton-that is, having only the necessary parts to form it of sufficient strength for the purpose required-all paneling being done away with.

In the bureau shown the skeleton frameA is formed of the upright standards h, on which the top plate a rests, these upright standards being connected at the front and rear by the horizontal bars c, according to the number of drawers to be contained in the skeleton frame, and the standards being connected at the sides by the side guide-bars d. The front and rear horizontal bars are of the ordinarywidth employed for separating the drawers of the ordinary bureau, and so is the body e of the side bars d, the body e of said bars being in line with the side guide-bars, as shown in the drawings. Each guidebar d has at the outer edge of said body, however, the top or upwardly-extending fiange f and the depending flange g, these iianges forming guideways for the drawers b, which enter the frame over the horizontal bars c and slide on the side bars d, their lower edges fitting against the upwardly-extending flanges f and their upper edges tting within and against the lower or depending flanges g. These side guidebars so hold the parts in proper line and extend around the top edges of the drawers, so as to prevent the entrance of dust therein. The drawers h are iinished on all of their sidesthat is, on both front and back and on the side faces thereof-das, the bureau being double, the drawers are to be withdrawn on either side; and the finishing of the side faces of the drawers takes the place of the nishing of the panels of the bureau, said side pieces being exposed, as shown, between the standards and said guide-bars.

As the rear wall or panel and the two side IOO walls or panels are done away with, it is evident that the drawers can be made larger, as they can extend entirely through the skeleton frame and be brought close to the sides of the standards, and the flanges on the side bars can be located just on a line with the inner faces of the standards, so giving greater depth and breadth of drawers.

In order to prevent the entrance of dust into the bureau, in the iianges of the side bars are placed strippings of rubber, felt, or like material, as at 7a', the most convenient form of such stripping being the ordinary metallicedged rubber stripping, the metal portion of which is seated in a groove in the flange, as shown, while the rubber portion extends out to bear against the edge of the drawer. I prefer to employ this stripping in connection with both the upper and lower flanges of the side bars; but, if desired, it may be employed only with the depending iianges, so as to close the upper part of the drawer. In such construction of bureau frame and drawers it is evident that access can be obtained on either side, and that as the side paneling and other parts are dispensed with a deeper or double bureau can be built up at practically the same cost as a single bureau. This bureau can be of course used as a single bureau, if desired, in which case one face thereof is placed against the wall; but it has the advantage of providing for the use thereof on both sides, and for such use I construct the mirror-frame of the bureau or the back plate of the wash-stand that it can be moved to the rear or to the center of the top plate, so permitting of its use in either position. Iwill describe this part of my invention especially in connection with the supporting-fra1ne for the mirror of the bureau, though it is evident that it can be applied to the otherlike articles of furniture.

The mirronsupporting frame Z is mounted in suitable guideways n, formed in the edge of the top plate a of the bureau, and has the base Z', from which the side bars Z2 extend upwardly, and in which said side bars the mirror is mounted. The base-piece l engages with the guideways 'n by any suitable connecting device, that illustrated in the drawings being L-shapcd grooves n in the edge of the top plate of the bureau and L- shaped lugs fm, connected to the base Z and iittingin said grooves and sliding' therein, so that the base Z and the mirror orother part connected thereto can be slipped back in said grooves orguideways. The guidewaysozy extend only part way across the top plate, it is only necessary that they shall extend from the rear of the top plate to a point sufficient to bring the base Z to the center of said top plate. lThe base Z forms the back plate on a wash-stand which supports the ordinary shelves.

In order to provide a mirror which shallbe donble-faced--that is, shall reflect on both sides thcrcofwl secure inthe mirror-frame p two plates or sheets fr of glass back to back and each silvered on the inner side, and the two silvered sides placed together, as shown, both said plates being secured within the frame p. By such construction I am enabled to employ a thick plate for the mirror, and at the same time provide for the bracing of the two plates by each other and obtain a sufficiently thick glass to resist breakage on slight blows. rlhe two plates placed together can be made ot' thin glass, and this glass, bcing cheap, will provide the double-faccd mir ror at practically the saine cost as the ordinary single-faced mirror, the mirror there fore adding but little to the cost of the bureau.

In the use of a bureau embodying my in vention and such as shown in the drawings, in ease it is desired. to employ the same as a double bureau it may be placed in the center of the room or between windows or in such like position, giving access to it on both sides, and the one article of furniture thus provides for use on both sides thereof. The drawers also provide for access thereto on both sides, so giving all the requisites of two bureaus.

In case it is desired to use the bureau as a single bureau all that is necessary is to turn the rear part thereof against the wall and slide the frame or base Z', carrying the mirror, back. to the rear of the top plate, when it is ready for use as a single bureau, occupying but little more space than the single bureau, but giving much greater depth of drawers. In case of a waslrstand or other such piece of furniture the same advantages are found, and if a back plate is employed this plate can be brought to the center of the top plate in the manner described as to the base l. At the same time the body or frame of the bureau or like articles can be constructed at practically the same cost as the ordinary singie inclosed piece of furniture and gives larger drawer-space proportionately, while the exposure of the sides of the drawers through the skeleton frame enables the manufacturer to produce a much handsomer article, such as by the varying' of the woods in the drawers and in the standards and side guidc-bars. The frame of the bureau may also be made of metal, and as it is skeleton it can be made at low cost.

lVhat I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, ism

l. In a bureau. or like article of furniture, the combination of `a skeleton frame formed of uprights or standards connected at the front and rear by horizontal bars and at the sides by horizontal bars having' guide-flanges thereon, and drawers fitting and sliding in said frame and finished on all sides thereof", substantially as and forthc purposes set forth.

2. In a bureau or like article of furniture, the combination of a skeleton frame formed of uprights or standards connected at the front and rear by horizontal bars and at the sides by horizontal bars having guiding-y IOO IIO

flanges extending upwardly and depending therefrom, drawers fitting and sliding in said frame, and a stripping of rubber or like material on the side guidingbars, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

3. A bureau orlike article of furniture having guideways in its top plate extending part Way across the sanne, and a separate frame or back plate extending over the top plate and having lugs rigid therewith and engaging with l1o said guideways, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

In testimony whereof I, the said JOSEPH A. SOHENKEL, have hereunto set my hand. JOSEPH A. SOHENKEL.

Witnesses: JAMES I. KAY, J. N. COOKE. 

